Suicide rates of migrants in United States immigration detention (2010–2020)

Erfani, Parsa; Chin, Elizabeth T; Lee, Caroline H; Uppal, Nishant; Peeler, Katherine R.

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2021031

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…It was also reported that half of those deaths were suicides. Erfani et al (2021) also reported the suicide rates among migrants detained at the ICE centers to have increased 5.3-fold to the 10-year average during the ongoing pandemic. In the previous decade, the mean suicide per 100,000 personyears was 3.3, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it increased to 17.4 suicide per 100,000 person-years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Migrant workers, migrants, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees – The silent sufferers of the COVID-19 pandemic

Syed¹,

Al-Kasim²,

Al-Qahtani³

et al. 2021

JCD

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Like other vulnerable groups, the pandemic has severely and negatively impacted marginalized groups, including migrant laborers, documented and undocumented migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers. The present study briefly reviewed cases of attempted and completed suicide while also examining their causality among national and international migrant workers, migrants, IDPs, refugees, and asylum seekers during the ongoing pandemic. This study utilized retrospective extraction of suicide-related information from earlier published press reports. With regards to COVID-19related suicides, this method has had widespread acceptability and has previously been extensively used in countries of South-East Asia for reporting suicides in academic journals. The authors located 26 relatively complete details of migrant worker suicides and suicide attempts from India and Singapore and 46 cases of migrant suicides from Malaysia with partially complete details. Lockdown-related health, job, and financial uncertainties coupled with pandemic-related emotional as well as mental stressors were some of the reported reasons for the alleged Citation

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Migrant workers, migrants, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees – The silent sufferers of the COVID-19 pandemic

Syed¹,

Al-Kasim²,

Al-Qahtani³

et al. 2021

JCD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Immigration is a known and significant social determinant of health, as is immigration detention [ 24 , 25 ]. There is a broad consensus among experts that being held in detention has a cumulative adverse effect on health [ 15 , 26 – 29 ]. While attention is focused on reversing harmful policies, it is important to consider systemic changes to the immigration system at large.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinicians’ perceptions of the health status of formerly detained immigrants

et al. 2022

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Background In the past decade, the U.S. immigration detention system regularly detained more than 30,000 people per day; in 2019 prior to the pandemic, the daily detention population exceeded 52,000 people. Inhumane detention conditions have been documented by internal government watchdogs, and news media and human rights groups who have observed over-crowding, poor hygiene and sanitation and poor and delayed medical care, as well as verbal, physical and sexual abuse. Methods This study surveyed health professionals across the United States who had provided care for immigrants who were recently released from immigration detention to assess clinician perceptions about the adverse health impact of immigration detention on migrant populations based on real-life clinical encounters. There were 150 survey responses, of which 85 clinicians observed medical conditions attributed to detention. Results These 85 clinicians reported seeing a combined estimate of 1300 patients with a medical issue related to their time in detention, including patients with delayed access to medical care or medicine in detention, patients with new or acute health conditions such as infection and injury attributed to detention, and patients with worsened chronic or special needs conditions. Clinicians also provided details regarding sentinel cases, categorized into the following themes: Pregnant women, Children, Mentally Ill, COVID-19, and Other serious health issue. Conclusions This is the first survey, to our knowledge, of health care professionals treating individuals upon release from detention. Due to the lack of transparency by federal entities and limited access to detainees, this survey serves as a source of credible information about conditions experienced within immigration detention facilities and is a means of corroborating immigrant testimonials and media reports. These findings can help inform policy discussions regarding systematic changes to the delivery of healthcare in detention, quality assurance and transparent reporting.

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“… 24 Similarly, solitary confinement is known to lead to deterioration of mental health and increases the risk of self-harm, 25 , 26 and suicide rates are rising in ICE detention. 27 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harmful by Design—a Qualitative Study of the Health Impacts of Immigration Detention

et al. 2022

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Background The USA has the largest immigration detention system in the world with over 20,000 individuals imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) daily. Numerous reports have documented human rights abuses in immigration detention, yet little is known about its health impacts. Objective To characterize how the US immigration detention system impacts health from the perspective of people who were recently detained by ICE. Design Qualitative study using anonymous, semi-structured phone interviews in English or Spanish conducted between July 2020 and February 2021. Participants Adults who had been detained by ICE for at least 30 days in the New York City metropolitan area within the previous 2 years, and that were fluent in English and/or Spanish. Approach We explored participants’ health histories and experiences trying to meet physical and mental health needs while in detention and after release. We conducted a reflective thematic analysis using an inductive approach. Key Results Of 16 participants, 13 identified as male; five as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer; and four as Black; they were from nine countries. Participants had spent a median of 20 years living in the USA and spent a median of 11 months in immigration detention. Four themes emerged from our analysis: (1) poor conditions and inhumane treatment, (2) a pervasive sense of injustice, (3) structural barriers limiting access to care, and (4) negative health impacts of immigration detention. Conclusions The narratives illustrate how structural features of immigration detention erode health while creating barriers to accessing needed medical care. Clinicians caring for immigrant communities must be cognizant of these health impacts. Community-based alternatives to immigration detention should be prioritized to mitigate health harms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07914-6.

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Suicide rates of migrants in United States immigration detention (2010–2020)

Cited by 14 publications

References 3 publications

Migrant workers, migrants, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees – The silent sufferers of the COVID-19 pandemic

Migrant workers, migrants, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees – The silent sufferers of the COVID-19 pandemic

Clinicians’ perceptions of the health status of formerly detained immigrants

Harmful by Design—a Qualitative Study of the Health Impacts of Immigration Detention

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